Container opening means



Nov. 8, 1960 c. FAZEKAS 2,958,942

CONTAINER OPENING MEANS Filed May 23, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORCHARLES FAZ 'EKAS ATTORNEYS Nov. 8, 1960 c. FAZEKAS CONTAINER OPENINGMEANS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 23, 1958 INVENTOR CHARLES FAZEKAS BY MMMed 4) 5w ATTORNEY$ United States Patent Ofifice 2,958,942 CONTAINEROPENING MEANS Charles Fazekas, Charlotte, N.C., assignor to PneumafilCorporation, Charlotte, N.C., a corporation of Delaware Filed May 23,1958, Ser. No. 737,288 Claims. (Cl. 30-61) This invention relates tofood handling equipment, more particularly to means for opening foodcontainers in a safe efficient manner without contaminating the contentsof said containers.

The development of the vending machine industry has made possible thedistribution of a wide range of consumer products in a rapid eflicientmanner without requiring the use of sales personnel. Where comestiblesand potables are dispensed by vending machines, it is desirable toprovide means insuring the maintenance of said comestibles and/orpotables in a sanitary condition. Additionally, it is obviouslynecessary to provide some receptacle for receipt of the dispensed itemspermitting the purchasers to carry said items from the vending machine.These receptacles must also be maintained in a sanitary condition. Someof the problems concerning the sanitary maintenance of the items priorto vending, and the subsequent provision of receptacles for removal ofthe vended merchandise may be met by employing conventional air tightcontainers such as tin cans or the like. The use of such containersserves to maintain the goods contained therein in a sanitary condition,andfurther provides a receptacle for removal of the goods after vending.

A variety of problems arises where it is desired to consume the contentsof the container at the dispensing point. Thus where soft drinks, soups,or the like beverages are dispensed by vending machines, the use of airtight cans provides for sanitation, and a container; however, means mustbe provided for opening of these containers. The use of conventional canopeners for this purpose engenders some difliculty, since theconventional can opener must be secured to the vending equipment toprevent its loss with the result that subsequent users will not haveavailable to them means for opening their purchases. The conventionalcan opener is further a relatively dan- -gerous instrument which shouldnot be left in a public place. An additional important problemencountered in the use of conventional can openers arises from the factthat the sanitary advantages resulting from the use of air tightcontainers are substantially lost since the can opener is not maintainedin a sanitary condition, thus providing a source of contamination forthe contents of the container. Other difficulties arise in connectionwith spillage occurring at the time of opening of the container, saidspillage dirtying the vending machine and possibly the user.

It is with the above problems in mind that the present invention hasbeen evolved providing improved container opening means particularlyadapted for use in connection with vending equipment designed todispense merchan-.

disc in air tight sanitary containers. The novel container opening meansare designed for secure positioning with respect to a vending machine orthe like with its container piercing elements in a relatively protectedposition to insure safety of usage, and additionally to provide asubstantially sterile condition, whereby the opening of a container doesnot incur the possibility of contamination 2,958,942 Patented Nov. 8,1960 of the contents of said container, nor the dirtying of the user orequipment.

It is accordingly a primary object of this invention to provide novelcontainer opening means.

A further object of this invention is to provide improved containeropening means particularly adapted for use in conjunction with vendingmachines where the vending machine is employed to dispense merchandisein a sanitary sealed container for use at the vending machine.

A still further object of the invention is to provide novel containeropening means adapted to be secured in a position preventing accidentalremoval thereof.

It is also an object of this invention to provide container openingmeans which may be used in complete safety by the user.

It is also an important object of this invention to pro vide a novelcontainer opening means which is maintained in a substantially sterilecondition whereby the contents of any containers opened by said meanswill not be contaminated.

An additional object of this invention is to provide a novel method foropening food containers.

A still further object of the invention is to provide novel containeropening means in which any sharp elements are not readily accessible,but which are readily cleanable.

Another object of the invention is to provide container opening meanswhich will prevent the contents of the container from being splashedupon a user of said means, at the time of opening of said container.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a can openeraccommodating a variety of can sizes.

These, and other objects of the invention which will become apparentfrom the following description and claims are achieved by provision of amounting bracket upon which a housing forming enclosing means issupported. An openable closure in the form of two pivotally hinged doorsis arranged upon said housing, at the front face thereof. The hingessupporting said doors are spring biased to close same. Control meanscomprising an operating handle whose weight serves to normally depresssame, coupled to a cam linkage-carriage, said supporting cams, and acontainer piercing blade. Raising of the handle, raises the piercingblade, and the cams to open the doors whereby a can or the likecontainer may be inserted in the housing beneath the blade. Subsequentdepression of the handle serves to bring the piercing blade down uponthe can to pierce same. At the same time, a shielding stop lip on theaforementioned cam carriage is brought down upon the can top to limitthe piercing of said blade and to prevent any possible splashing of thecontents of the can upon the user. After the can has been opened, thehandle is raised to permit removal of the can. Release of the handlethen closes the doors to prevent any foreign matter from entering thehousing, and to conceal the container piercing blade, thus preventinginjury to any potential user.

A specific feature of the invention resides in the provision of anormally hidden can opener blade which is main tained at a steriletemperature to prevent contamination of the contents of any containersopened thereby.

Another feature of the invention resides in the provision of novelcontainer opening means which may securely be maintained in conjunctionwith any other equipment such as a vending machine, to preventaccidental removal of sad means.

It is also a feature of the invention that a shield is provided toprevent splashing of the contents of the can upon the user of the canopener at the time of opening of the can.

A further feature of the invention resides in the provision of adrainage opening and a sump at the bottom carriage of the normallyclosed housing to permit any spilled liqiud to drain.

The specific details of the invention, and their mode of functioningwill be made most manifest and particularly pointed out in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a front perspective view of the novel container openingmeans, showing the closure members in an open position whereby acontainer may be inserted for opening; and

Figure 2 is a perspective rear view of the container opening means shownin Figure l; and

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the novel container opening means as seenin Figure l; and

Figure 4 is a cross sectional elevational view taken on line 4-4 ofFigure 3; and

Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of the components of the novelcontainer opening means.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, like numerals in thevarious figures will be employed to designate like parts.

As best seen in Figures 2 and 5, the novel container opening meanscomprises enclosing means including a housing 11 made up of a body case12, a rear shield 13 pivotally arranged with respect to said case,bearing supports 14- fixedly secured by rivets or welding to the case,and a drain sump 15 telescopically arranged at the bottom of said case.As seen in the drawing, it will be observed that the case bottom isformed with a drainage opening 16, and a chine receiving aperture 17 fora purpose to be made hereinafter more apparent. The front face of case12 is formed with side channels '18 having slots 19.

Openable closures in the form of doors 2t) and 21 are supported on thefront of case 12 on saId side channels 18 by means of hinges 22 and 23respectively which are spring biased by means of springs 24 to a closedposition over the housing 11.

Control means including handle operated cam supporting carriage 25having yoke portion 26, cams 27, bearings 28 at the rear of the yoke andshielding stop lip 29 at the front, all formed integrally from a singlesheet of material, is pivotally mounted with respect to housing 11 bypivot bar 30 extending thru bearings 28 on carriage 25. Pivot bar 30extends through apertures 31 in shield 13 to pivotally support same, andthe bearing apertures 32 in the case bearing support 14 thus providingan integral assembly. Control handle 35 in the U-shaped form shownhaving apertures 36 in each leg thereof is also secured on pivot bar 30.It will be observed that movement of handle 35 produces movement of camcarriage 25 and its component parts. Clips 33 are provided to maintainpivot bar 30 in operative assembled position.

Support bracket 40 is of a shape to receive sump 15, and is formed witha mounting leg 41 which may be fixedly secured to a support surface suchfor example as the back of the front facade of a vending machine as seenin Figure 2.

A container piercing element in the form of two pronged blade 43 issecured to the yoke portion 26 by means of a suitable fastening membersuch as a machine screw or the like. The blade 43 is formed with arecess to receive electrical heating element 45, the heat of which isregulated by means of thermostat 46 (shown on Figure 2), and coupled toa suitable source of electrical energy (not shown). Aligning pin 47 andaligning washer 48 serve to maintain the blade correctly oriented on theyoke.

Blade 43 is provided with a relatively thick piercing cusp 49, and arelatively thin piercing cusp 50. The thick cusp is arranged at the rearof the blade, whereby upon downward movement of handle 35, the thickcusp blade will pierce the can immediately adjacent the chine of the canto produce a pouring lip, whereas the thin piercing cusp serves toproduce a vacuum relief opening. Engaging lips 51 on the rear wall ofbody case 12 keep the can from moving with blade 43.

As illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the novel container opening means arearranged on the front facade F of a vending machine which must beprovided with handle slots 55, as well as an opening for the housing andslots for the cams.

Operation The afore disclosed structure may most optimumly be employedin conjunction with vending machinery designed to dispense cannedpotables and/or comsetibles. Where so employed the container openingmeans may readily be arranged at some portion of the conventionallyprovided decorative facade F of the vending machine. Thus as seen inFigures 1 and 2 it is proposed to provide a specific opening in thevending machine facade to receive the novel container opening means.

Where so positioned, it will not be possible to inadvertently carry offthe container opening means, nor will any sharp edges be exposed to theuser. Positioning of the structure is accomplished by securing mountingleg 41 of support bracket 40 to the rear of facade F.

Thereafter drain sump 15 is positioned on the bracket 40, shield 13 isarranged therein, and body case 12 inserted through the facade openinginto the shield. The yoke of carriage 25 is then arranged over the casebehind-the facade and handle 35 inserted from the front of the facade.Insertion of pivot bar 30 through bearing apertures 36, 28, 31, and 32serves to maintain the aforementioned components in assembledrelationship. It will be observed that disassembly is equally simple andthus permits ready maintenance.

In operation, the weight of control handle 35 will be such as to causethe handle to assume a downward position permitting doors 20 and 21 tobe closed under the action of spring biased hinges 22 and 23respectively. In this position, it will be observed that there is littlelikelihood of foreign matter, insects, or the like, entering housing 11to possibly contaminate container opening blade 43.

When it is desired to open a container, as dispensed by the vendingmachine, for consumption, the user'merely ra'ses control handle 35causing cam carriage 25 to pivot on pivot bar 30 with cams 27 movingupwardly against doors 20 and 21 to open same. When the doors are openeda container may readily be inserted within housing 11. Thereafter uponbringing control handle 35 to a downward position blade 43 willsimultaneously be forced against the can top to pierce same. The twoprongs of the blade will form two openings, one a discharge opening, andthe other a vacuum relief opening, thereby permitting the contents ofthe container to flow. It will be observed that at the time of opening,the blade and can top are substantially protected within the housing byshielding stop lip 29, whereby the user is protected in the event ofsplashing of the contents of said can. Lip 29 further serves to limitthe entry of the blade '43 into the can so that puncturing is notexcessive and'so that the blade will generally not contact the contentsof the can.

Upon raising of the handle the blade is removed from the can and theuser may remove the opened can. Lips 51 on the rear wall of case 12prevent the can from moving up with blade 43.

The presence of the heating element 30 serves to'maintain blade 43 at asterile temperature, whereby any bacteria accumulating thereon will bekilled, and any liquid will be vaporized with a subsequent carbonizationof any residue.

In the event of spillage, the liquid drains into sump 15 which mayperiodically be removed for cleaning by sliding same telescopicallyupward on shield 13 to free same from the rear lip on bracket 40. Theshield 13 pivots on pivot bar 30 with sump 15. sump may be removed forcleaning.

Depending on the size of the can, it may be inserted into body case 12to rest on the bottom thereof or with the bottom chine of the can inchine receiving aperture 17.

Though the invention has here been disclosed in conjunction with aliquid container, it will be appreciated that the shape of the canpiercing blade may readily be varied within the scope of this inventionto open a wide variety of containers, either by puncturing holes, asdisclosed, or by stamping out the complete top of the can where solidsare involved.

It is thus seen that novel container opening means have been provided inwhich the can piercing blade is maintained in a substantially sterilecondition by means of a heating element and its enclosure within ahousing. This enclosure within a housing serves further to preventinjury of the user by the blade, and keeps foreign matter away from theblade. Additionally the blade is shielded during opening of a can, thusprotecting the user from the blade and from splashing of the cancontents; and the shield also limits the penetration of the bladetending to keep same clean. Disassembly for cleaning is accomplished ina simple manner by removing pivot bar 30.

The above disclosure has been given by way of illustration andelucidation, and not by way of limitation, and it is desired to protectall embodiments of the herein disclosed inventive concept within thescope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Means for opening containers, said means comprising: enclosing meanswithin which the container to be opened may be positioned; openableclosure means on said enclosing means; container piercing means withinsaid enclosing means; and movable control means carrying said piercingmeans and moving against said closure means to open same to permitinsertion of a can into said enclosure means, and actuating saidpiercing means to pierce a container within said enclosing means,whereby the container may be opened in a sanitary fashion.

2. Means as in claim 1 in which sterilizing means are provided incombination with said piercing means for sterilizing same.

3. Means as in claim 2 in which said sterilizing means comprises heatingmeans.

4. Container opening apparatus comprising: a housing within which thecontainer to be opened may be positioned; an openable closure includinga door on said housing; a container piercing blade within said housing;and a control handle coupled to said blade and extending from saidhousing for closing said door and actuating said blade to open thecontainer.

5. Apparatus as in claim 4 in which a sterilizer is Thereafter theprovided in combination with said blade same.

6. Apparatus in claim 5 in which said sterilizer comprises: a heatingelement in combination with said blade.

7. A container opener comprising: a housing adapted for fixed securementto a supporting surface; an openable closure in the form of a doorpivoted to said housing; a spring biased hinge on which said door ispivoted to the housing, said hinge biasing said door to a closedposition; a control cam carriage contacting said door; a can piercingblade movably mounted on said carriage for movement within said housing;an electrical heating element coupled to said blade to heat same; and acontrol handle extending beyond said housing and coupled to said controlcam carriage and said blade to permit piercing of the container by saidblade when said handle is depressed, whereby the container may be openedwithout splashing the user or contaminating the contents of thecontainer.

8. A container opener as in claim 7 in which said cam carriage has ashielding stop lip limiting the movement of said blade into thecontainer and preventing splashing of the container contents upon theopening thereof.

9. A container opener comprising: a housing adapted for fixed securementto a supporting surface, said housing having an opening of a sizepermitting insertion therein of any container to be opened; an openableclosure mounted over the opening in said housing and biased to a closedposition; a control cam carriage in said housing contacting saidclosure; at can piercing blade mounted on said carriage for movementwithin said housing; and a control handle extending from said housingand coupled to said cam carriage to eifect movement of same, wherebysaid closure may be opened to permit insertion of a can into saidhousing, and upon closing of said housing by said closure, said bladewill pierce the can inserted into said housing.

10. A container opener as in claim 9 in which said cam carriage has ashielding stop lip limiting the movement of said blade into thecontainer and preventing splashing of the container contents upon theopening thereof.

for sterilizing References Cited in the file of this patent UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 1,505,578 Barra Aug. 19, 1924 2,032,688 Dart Mar. 3, 19362,603,858 Bruce et al. July 22, 1952 2,713,198 Sapp July 19, 19552,765,005 Wellekens Oct. 2, 1956 2,840,899 Mullich July 1, 19582,840,900 Mullich July 1, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,107,332 France Apr. 3,1955

